Watch: Orca sighting at Auckland’s Takapuna Beach

Spotting two orca just metres from shore was the last thing an Auckland couple expected on their morning stroll.

St Mary’s Bay resident Elouan Coward and his partner were walking along Takapuna Beach – a favourite spot before they moved from the North Shore suburb six months ago.

“I saw something from far out, and it didn’t really look like someone swimming, but then it came closer and closer,” he told the Herald.

He saw one orca swimming closer to shore, and to his surprise, another “big fin” popped up behind it.

“They literally came within two or three metres of the actual shore.

“It was crazy to see them so close and realise how big they are.”

The orca were spotted at North Head in Auckland today. Photo / Richard Hobbs

The couple recently returned from a whale and dolphin safari trip in the Bay of Islands, but didn’t see much sealife at all there.

“Being able to walk along the beach and see an orca literally two metres away was pretty special.

“The beach got pretty crowded and excited when everyone clocked what was happening.

“It was pretty incredible.”

Project Jonah confirmed it knew of the orca sighting in Takapuna this morning.

The organisation is made up of volunteers who aim to protect and help marine mammals through their rescue, action, and protection programmes.

It isn’t rare for orca to be seen close to shore, with Project Jonah saying they have swum into the harbour “numerous times before”.

The orca are just looking for a “tasty treat”.

“New Zealand orcas are the only ones in the world that feed on rays, and rays are shallow coastal animals.

“Every couple of months, the orca come in quite shallow into the bays and look for rays.”

The organisation gets an average of one orca stranding yearly due to them coming too close to shore, but they are “comfortable in shallow waters”.

Project Jonah said having these “huge animals come into our city is awesome”, but there are rules around interacting with marine mammals.

People are encouraged to check the Department of Conservation (DoC) website regarding each species.

To report a mammal stranding, people can get in touch with the organisation’s hotline on 0800 4 94253, or DoC’s hotline on 0800 362 468.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.